(Rather belated) 13 month update

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We were away last week when A2 turned 13 months so I didn’t get around to writing this very promptly and we’ve been quite busy since then. We had an absolutely fantastic time in the Lake District and were very lucky to have a dry, mostly sunny and fairly warm week! We (well, everyone except me and A2 as she was asleep in the car!) did the Gruffalo trail at Winlatter, me and the kids and Grandma and Grandad J walked around Aira Force where A1 said “Oh, that’s a good lake [re: Ullswater]. I am glad we came on this holiday”. Mr.J was absent as he was off up Helvellyn via Striding Edge with Aunty H and Uncle P. We also went on a steamer on Windermere and connected up with Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway for a short ride on a steam train (of course) and we had a lovely toddle around Brotherswater. And before all that, we had our family photoshoot with the very talented Ellie so I’ve shared *just a few* of my favourites 🙂

And a few from the Lake District….

As for A2…. here we go!

Movement: After a few teasing days where she kept having a really good attempt at walking and managing 3 or 4, or even 5 or 6 steps in a row she seems to have found a groove in the last few days and is walking more and more and more. Today at playgroup when we sang “Bouncing up and down on a big [insert colour] tractor” she loved ‘bouncing’ (squatting) up and down by herself! She has also found a new gear and gets down the stairs at speed by doing a crazy frog like movement with her legs combined with a sliding motion.

Eating: She is becoming fiercely independent. For example, she wants the whole yogurt pot to feed herself…..

Sleep: Not much change here really. She managed one longer stint in the evening on holiday when she had fed for a long time and then rolled away and let me pat her back to sleep but I’ve had no other success in enticing her to fall asleep without feeding. So she tends to manage anywhere between 0-45 minutes before she wakes up in the evening but once she’s on me or Mr.J (on the rare occasion I’m out) , she’ll stay asleep for a bit … usually. Aunty C babysat her whilst we went for a birthday meal for A1’s bestie and she wasn’t happy about going to sleep in the pram for her but was fine cuddling in her arms, once she had a whisk to hold!

Play: She is clearly in some kind of tidying/putting things into things schema as she has been very keen to put board game pieces back in boxes or just any item into any receptacle really! Including herself into boxes and bedside cabinets……She has loved playing with the Grimm’s rainbow that she got for her birthday (A1 was poorly in this picture and she was trying to put this piece on his head!), she loves the Coupe Car (and was desperate to go on one at nursery band stood by the fence pointing at them as they’re in the older children’s area!) and she’s still loving grabbing flowers and putting sunglasses and hats on!

Communication: She seems to have forgotten a lot of the sounds and words she has said previously but I think that may be because she’s been busy learning other things instead. However, we’ve had some ‘Dada’ sounds and some ‘Mamamamama’ sounds recently. She is very clear about what she wants at mealtimes and points to things or cupboards.

Bonus A2 category – hair!:There’s one long unicorn/hair of power at the front of her head that’s about an inch long now that often just sticks up (hence the name) but it does seem to have got the teeniest bit longer recently as it sometimes sticks up or out and blows in the wind. You can see teeny bits of hair in the picture of her in the sling with me and Mr.J in fact!

Other random stuff from this month…. A1 was poorly for a week or so with a random virus. He was all hot and lethargic and had no appetite but perked up after a few days. He absolutely loved it when there was a digger in the back garden when we had our patio relaid though! And lastly, I’m making the most of my snuggles with A2 as I am properly properly back at work next week and she is having her 2nd settling in session at nursery tomorrow and I’ll leave her there for a short while (30-45 minutes) whilst I hide in a room upstairs and feel very bad 😥 .

Wish us all luck with the transition! I think it could be a stressful and emotionally draining few weeks ahead so the next blog post may not be on time either….